Taking care of your COVID positive child. Making the best out of the worst.

The experience of being COVID positive or having a COVID positive child is mortifying in itself, not to mention the feeling of sheer helplessness. How to take care of him/ her while protecting the rest of the family? Most of us new-age parents living in our nuclear habitats have either faced this dilemma or are likely to face it, given the current times. After being into and out of this torment, my only prayer to the almighty these days is to let us see the light on the other of this corona pandemic soon.

What if, despite the millions of barricades you set up, corona manages to creep inside your safe haven and catches hold of your most precious possession, your children. It is natural to experience a feeling of despair and helplessness when your joyfully jumping monkey looks so pale, and the thermometer ruthlessly confirms the 100+ fever. The subconscious mind starts scanning through all the recently read online gibberish, dismal images of people with oxygen cylinders on the street battling fate and the horrifying videos shown again and again on the TV set as a part of the TRP-generating breaking news.

It is indeed baffling for the parent nursing a COVID positive child to keep a sane mind amid this holocaust-like situation created by the omnipresent dark media. Hope this blog helps you find some path in the direction of least panic and maximum relief.

What to do when you suspect your child to be COVID positive?

Easier said than done, but you got no choice: DON’T PANIC. Hold onto your nerves. You may need the adrenaline rush later. Sit back, take a deep breath and access the situation. Probably, as a layman, you don’t know what to do and how to do it? Yet, be as scientific in your approach as you can. Fight the tendency to negate the problem as nothing and the desire to find a quick magical online remedy.

The first to go down was my son, Advitya (8 years of age), and the only symptom he had was feeling low, and some headache followed 24 hours later by fever spikes.

Aaryana (just out of her infant tag,1 year) had more aggressive symptoms with cough, wheezing, fever and a severe loss of appetite from the outset.

Assume the child to be positive unless proven otherwise.

This isn’t COVID? He just had some cold drink! Last night AC was on full blast, and he doesn’t cover himself with a blanket! It must be the windy weather! It’s just a common cold! These are some of the many “WE DON’T HAVE COVID” excuses that my brain shot at me, one after another.

While the emotional and foolish parent inside us will keep throwing these excuses at us, we must keep our sanity fortress strong, especially during these confusing times. The first thing towards victory is to identify your enemy correctly. Keeping your eyes shut while the enemy makes advances at your fort is not only foolish but dangerous.

At the very first appearance of any of the CORONA symptoms in your child (or anyone in the family), please be alarmed and seek medical help.

As per the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, the symptoms of COVID in children are non-specific and mimic any other viral infection.

• Fever, headache, myalgia, fatigue, tiredness, coryza, cough, sore throat, rapid breathing (anyone)
• Diarrhoea, vomiting/ abdominal pain OR Poor feeding in an infant,
• loss of taste or smell (>8 years)
• Rash, conjunctival congestion, mucositis,
• Shock
• Asymptomatic but has a close/household contact with a COVID-19 case.

COVID-testing is recommended in all the above. If this is not feasible for some reason, the child is to be assumed ‘positive’ and managed as per the recommended lines.

Consult your paediatrician or physician asap, TELECONSULT (Please, Do not VISIT)

Yes, you read it right! Don’t be in a hurry to have your child driven to a clinic or hospital. This is not only unnecessary but can prove dangerous for your child and the people around you. An infected child is not only a potential spreader, but she may herself become a victim of secondary infection. COVID makes your child vulnerable to catch a lot more infections lurking around, and if that happens, the whole picture will turn upside down. SO, for your child’s sake and others, STAY AT HOME and VIDEO CONSULT your doctor asap.

Don’t blindly follow the circulating prescription or fatuous piece of WhatsAppadvice on COVID.

You are not living in a flintstone era, are you? Please stop behaving like Flintstones.

Consult your doctor before popping any pill inside your baby. Under no condition start self-treating the fragile soul based on Whatsapp advice and frantically circulating COVID prescriptions. Someone did that in good faith, but it may not turn out so good for you. Most medicines advised in the leaflet are for adults and under no circumstances be modified in dosage to suit your child’s weight. It’s dangerous. For example, you cannot give doxycycline to children; it is contraindicated. Doxycycline, blood thinners, steroids and ivermectin are circulated as lifesavers and can be seen in most forwarded prescriptions. Please don’t fall prey to them. THESE ARE NOT MEANT FOR YOU OR YOUR CHILDREN.

Be calm and in control of the situation. Don’t let the situation control you.

The best piece of advice is to consult your doctor and follow his/her advice. These are some tips to follow as you tread this difficult path.

Isolate as soon as possible

• Isolate the child as much as possible from others, particularly the elderly in the family.
• It is really tough when the affected one is an infant or a young child. If possible, the nursing mother and the child should isolate together to prevent exposure to others in the family. Having said that, your own safety and health are equally important. Always wear a mask while handling the infant, wash your hands thoroughly before and after taking care of the child (or sanitise with a hand-rub).
• Isolate the positive family members together. There is no need for separate quarantine. Thankfully, me and both my kids started with the symptoms together. Initially, it was physically exhausting and mentally draining to take care of two young ones being at the peak of COVID symptoms myself. Eventually, this turned to be a great blessing in disguise as we tided over the crisis without facing the trauma of isolation.

Be mentally and emotionally strong.

• Don’t indulge in guilt-tripping. Your discipline and positive attitude will help the child see this as necessary and doable, while your impatience and stress will find their way in your child’s system and make him/her stressed and leave them feeling sad.
• A positive mood is a good immune booster, while negative thoughts lead to depression and weaken your immune system. Choose your ally carefully.
• Stop watching devastating news for a while, and do not indulge in negative or depressing discussions, especially when the children are around. Don’t let the fear of a 1% adverse outcome get stronger than the hope of 99% uneventful recovery.

Make isolation as much fun as possible for your child (and for you too).

• Having said that, do not lock down your child in a boring and dull environment. Make sure to fill the room with everything your child needs, from sources of entertainment to healthy snacking options.
• Keep your child engaged. Story sessions, board games, movies, video games, and video chats can prove to be a great help in passing idle time. Please keep your child feeling uplifted and happy by boosting his/her morale from time to time.

Stay protected. The last thing you want is to lose your strength in a time of need.

• Always wear a protective mask covering your nose and cloth while coming in contact with the positive child and avoiding unnecessary movement. The person taking care of the child should ideally take a bath or change the clothes afterwards before coming in contact with negative members.
• A single designated person should handle the child. The chosen person should be in good health, not in the high-risk category, and his/her outside exposure should be minimal. Keep the dishes used by the child separate from the ones used by everyone else in the family. The beddings and towels need to be washed and sanitised before other people can use them.

A healthy body and healthy mind: A well-balanced diet and a positive outlook is the best immunity booster.

• Healthy food and a healthy environment are all that most children will need to recover. You must take into consideration the marked loss of appetite and taste experienced by most children. Make food as per the child’s preferences as much as possible. My 1-year Aaryana tided over the 1-week slump in her appetite by munching on cheese toasts all day around. Now she is back to her usual routine. Let the child eat small but frequent meals.
• You can start Vitamin C and vitamin D supplements after consulting your paediatrician. Over the counter, immunity boosters may become a source of nausea and gastric upset for the child, and I strongly counsel against injudicious and overzealous use.
• Maintain good hydration, be cautious if the oral intake of the child is low. Oral rehydration solution proves to be a great source of water, electrolytes and energy for the recuperating child. You can try the ready-made flavoured ORS solution to increase the acceptability of the child.

Be vigilant but don’t panic. Follow your paediatrician and have faith.

• Fever-check and chart. Make a chart of the time and severity of fever till it subsides. Follow your doctor’s advice on what meds to give when a child experiences fever. Most kids would need only paracetamol to tide over the episode. When paracetamol fails to bring down the fever even after 2 hours of the last dose, consult your doctor for further management.
• Unless your child’s paediatrician advises, please do not add any medication. COVID is new for the medical fraternity as well, and they are having a hard time finding the best protocol that suits all. You and me, with no scientific background, should not divulge in brainless net-approved hit and trials. It is your child’s health that is at stake.
• Every child will behave differently and need personalised care. While Advitya’s illness stayed limited to fever and headache (for 5 days) and was well managed on repeated reassurances, head massages and paracetamol syrup, Aarayana had a tough time. She had high fever spikes, cough, wheezing and refused to eat or drink. 4 hourly nebulisation, steam inhalation, vitamin supplements and a pandora of medicine drops followed the poor lady around for almost 10 days.

What to do when you test COVID positive?

ISOLATE as soon as possible. The world would function perfectly well in your fortnightly absence. You need to rest and follow your doctor’s advice to get well as soon as possible. Before the isolation set-up, make sure to equip the room with everything to need to stay engaged and avoid unnecessary movement.

Breast feeding mothers should and must continue breastfeeding with all precautions.

• wear a mask
• don clean clothes and wash your hands before touching the child
• take all your meds as prescribed. The best would be to take the dose immediately after you breastfeed; this way, the blood levels go down significantly before the next feed.
• keep your mood positive and stay happy,
• eat healthily, stay hydrated

No war is ever won with panic and despair. The winning side needs strength and the perfect arsenal to win over the enemy. Your strength, willpower, positive attitude, and trust in GOD are your unwavering allies. For that perfect arsenal, please do not go shopping in local markets; entrust your child’s wellbeing only in the hands of the most reliable warriors armed of science, the medical fraternity. WHATSAPP-DOCTORS surely know nothing except hitting the forward button brainlessly. TELECONSULT your doctor asap and follow the advice with faith in your heart.

After all, this too shall pass!

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